TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Palm beach Bar /Orient

Can anyone tell me the best way to get to the Palm Beach Bar on Orient from the Westin?

Sure! From the Westin / Oyster Pond, there are two ways to get to Orient.
1. Get out your rental car map, or
2. Fire up Google Earth on your phone / tablet. Actually, there are several routes for this alternative - MapQuest.com, Driving directions.com, .........

You can't miss it.

Sorry, but was that a joke?

Not that easy although it is close. Best to tell you, but a bit longer way, is to turn right out of the Westin Garage. Go to the "T" and turn left. Follow the road to the round-about and turn right into French Quarter ( will say Quarter de O'rleans). Follow the road for about three kilometers and watch for signs for Palm Beach. Turn right on the road and make the first major right hand turn. You will go over a hill and down to the beach into Palm Beach's parking lot. Hope this helps!!

There is a closer route, but pretty sure you would get lost! LOL

I'm not sure that the entrance to Palm Beach is on your rental car map.... I'm feeling snarky because this really isn't helpful to the OP....

I agree that this response was somewhat snarky, but I also think that many people don't know that Google maps works quite well on the island.

Been both ways. Usually stay in Oyster Pond and do numerous visits to Orient.
There is a "coastal" route and an "inland" route. The inland route is a tad longer but quicker. The coastal route is much more scenic but lots of curves. Would recommend not doing the coastal route after dark.
Both take you thru Orleans on way to Orient.
To do inland route, head north form Westin. At bottom of hill take left (very first road you can do a left on), go up thru S curves and take a right on first large intersection/road you come to. continue to inland to rount-about. Take north exit out of round-about (you will see a Texaco and a MickyDees) you will head north and drive thru Orleans.
To do coastal route, do not take the first left, continue over the stream north and follow only major road. You will come out in Orleans, take a right.
From Orleans follow main road per previous instructions, past OB turn-offs, and watch for signs.
Note - the gas station close to Palm beach turn-off is recommended for cheapest gas - cash only.

As an aside, but truly helpful, even better than Google Maps. If you have an iPhone or other iDevice, and android device or even a Windows tablet or phone, there is a downloadable app called maps.me, which has downloadable maps of the entire world including St. Martin. There is a "routeable" version of the St Martin map as well.

The beauty of this is that you can use it without being connected. No need for data plans or Wi-Fi while using it. Plenty of SXM landmarks are already included and you can add your own. And it will create and track routes for you if your device has a GPS.

My one suggestion is to download this app and the maps before you get the the island with its spotty internet.

Thank you so much

That's a great idea (downloading maps.me) as I've tried downloading some of the other services while on wifi and had poor results using them when not connected. I pretty much drive everywhere but I can't give directions as I just never bothered to learn the names of the streets and I think the landmarks I use are not obvious to everyone. Good suggestion mscottc.

Thank you all so much, I have a very good idea on how to get there now.

Or, jeez, louise, you're on vacation, during the day anyway, take some general directions and get out there and explore! I truly miss the days when a trip to SXM meant no phones, no computers, no papers, except possibly the Daily Herald... Sorry, I'm grumpy this morning, I guess..

Carol - When we first started going to SXM we found it was almost too much trouble to rent a car... The roads were terrible and not a street sign in sight. I, too, miss the days when if you wanted to make a call you went to the marina in Marigot and used one of the four pay phones that were available. Calls we ungodly expensive so it discouraged too much communication. All-in-all I agree that I miss a lot of the charm of the "old" St. Maarten. OK, the airport was usually hot as hell but you certainly knew you weren't in the northeast US in February!!!

Or, you're on vacation, who wants to bother with the stress and hassle of getting possibly lost?

Just playing devil's advocate. Each person enjoys their vacation in different ways; exploring is not always one of those ways.

That's just a very small part of what we loved about the island, Carol, the simple act of getting out and exploring it, I mean. That's how our family stumbled on the original Marks Place and the caves at Baie Rouge way back when. All the electronics are great but there's something to be said for your point of view, to be sure. And it's okay to be a little cranky in the morning - have your second cup of coffee and see if that helps!! I think you need a vacation, myself!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Yes, everyone vacations differently, certainly. OK, I'm having not a second cup of coffee, but a cup of tea now, Pat. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

well, another devils advocate here......how lost could you get? IT'S AN ISLAND!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

Keep driving, follow the sun/stars, explore, and aim for the water...you'll always make it out. But then, that's rather my philosophy in a city, or life in general <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Agreed, during the day, it's not a problem getting lost. Do not want to get lost at night though...

lol...true...but after an active day outside we are usually crashed by 9....ha ha

Carol: 2nd trip to SXM many years ago and arrived at 8:30 at night (the old Bumblebee Flight from San Juan). Got a rental and headed to Orient. Two hours later I was at my hotel . . . . LOL. I am sure I toured a lot of the island in two hours, I just had no idea where I was going! Of course long before smart phones, google maps, even the printed maps at the airport sucked!!

After 15 years as a resident, I pretty much have every nook and cranny down!

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Unless things have changed recently, the gas station at the round-about is a Delta Petroleum not a Texaco.

Wow, all I did was ask for directions sorry. As far as exploring we do explore, I just felt like getting to The Palm Beach without exploring.

Sorry, my note wasn't aimed at you, but at the folks who were talking about app's for maps, etc... Sorry.

Carol,
There's nothing wrong with peace of mind that a good mapping app brings. I love exploring this island, but sometimes you just need to be someplace, maybe to meet someone, maybe not, by a specific time. And somethings are a bit off the main road, So yea, it's easy to get lost. Nobody is forcing anyone to use a mapping app, but there's nothing wrong with having it when you do need it. Stop being so judgmental.

Judgmental?? Whatever..

We came back from Phillipsburg one day and about 2 and a half hours later we were back on the beach with no traffic! It was about a 30 minute drive if I knew where I was going. I wasn't relaxing after the first hour and I had a beach chair calling to me and I couldn't get to it! If I had wanted to explore it would have been no problem, but when you want to be there like the OP it is nice to have some kind of directions. Kudos to the information given by some. I get lost so don't follow any directions I may give!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

It has taken me 45 min to get from The Perch to the parking lot,sometimes Google just don't help!!
TEXAS!!!

Carol, you have been judged as judgmental and I have made the judgment that you are not showing sufficient remorse at your judgmental judging, so just watch it!

As far as driving around the island. We had been to the island many times on cruises, and had stayed on island without renting a car or doing any driving ourselves, before the first time we rented a car and I had always heard the statements about how you cannot get lost driving on the island, etc. So, on our first time staying on island and renting a car near airport, we rent the car - I forget who we first rented from - maybe AAA - I had not bothered with getting good directions - and we take off with that map that just had the road marked in yellow making a circle around the island. Well, I took every wrong turn possible, getting more frustrated by the minute - which did not improve my driving. And, me being me, I of course declined my navigator's increasingly pointed suggestions to ask someone about how to get where we needed to go. We visited St Peters for the first and only time and got to see parts of the island we have never seen again. Of course, on the plus side, we got to know a significant part of the island's road system. Directions and electronic aids are a good idea.

I'm with you Carol!!! I have found some of the best shortcuts just by driving around. Now I have the "GPS" in my head with Fabila as my first mate!!! But I think Mscottc is making a good point for those first timers that "have to have" there handheld devices!!! Look PEOPLE the island isn't that big! One maybe two traffic lights on the whole island !! Get out and drive have fun!! Park it at night!!!

Dave, even as someone approaching 12 years of visiting the island, that maps.me program came in real handy this year. I'll admit, Donna and I typically fall into the rut of relaxing at the same places on our visits. So when we are looking for a new place, as we did this past visit, sure I knew where we were going, but a couple of the turn-offs on the way there were not so well marked. The GPS alerted us to those turns and we found our way there with very little anxiety.